A Spectator's Notebook IS SIR ROY WELENSKY deceived
by his own rhetoric, pr is he merely trying to keep his courage up? 'I want to go on record,' he said on Tuesday, 'as saying that plans [for recent events in Nyasaland] were inspired at a meeting held in Accra attended by a number of African leaders from the Rhodesias and Nyasaland.' A correspondent points out elsewhere that discon- tent in Nyasaland is spontaneous and well founded and needs no inspiration from outside; Sir Roy's refusal to face this is suicidal for the Federation and for European influence in Africa. The search for the red provocateur is just as mis- guided. We have it from factual evidence that direct contact was made between Russian repre- sentatives and certain African leaders from the Federation at Accra.' Of course it was. You don't need security reports to know that when two sets of people are at the same conference, in the same room, direct contact is made. Has Sir Roy any evidence that such contact was seditious? My own information is that Africans from the Federation adopted a lukewarm reserve towards the Russian delegation. African leaders are most anxious to avoid Russian entanglements. Russian influence in Central Africa is at present weak, though Sir Roy and his friends will soon remedy that.
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